Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Just Couldn't Stay Away...

Well... that wasn't much of a hiatus.

Tonight as we got the kids ready for bed Paul glanced over and said:  "You can't just put that post up on your blog and leave it without telling people what's going on.  You can't just leave it like that."  He might have added something about being dramatic, and people worrying, while I pondered whether or not it had been.  I was teary when I was writing, so, I admitted, he might have had a point.

I pointed out that less than 24 hours wasn't much of a break and he pointed out that I could put up an explanation post and then take a break... which of course led to me saying that if I wrote that post I wouldn't really need a break because my writer's block would be effectively shattered.

He's right though.  The things that were weighing upon me last night as I pondered this latest adventure seem lighter today.

I began working on a post last night and it's up now, at the top of this page, under Mae's Journey.  It explains what's been going on and the reason behind my prayer request yesterday.  

Thank you all for your prayers.  I feel almost as if we've just stepped onto the roller coaster that is these next few weeks, and I appreciate the prayers and supportive comments and notes I've received more than you can know.

7 comments:

  1. Hon, I deal with autism (as a care giver and supporter) every day of my life. You will get through this with flying colors. It will change you it will strengthen you and you will begin to see beautiful new patterns you never saw before. DO NOT BUY INTO AUTISM SPEAKS LIES. PLEASE. Life is NOT over, it is a new adventure and Christ allows nothing that will not bring us closer to HIM.

    Love to you all!

    Maria-Magdalena

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  2. I have a good friend who is using the GAPS diet to heal her autistic son with amazing results. When I first met the boy he was a four year old who was walking on his toes, would not speak, and would frequently bang the wall. Now he has a vocabulary of about 100 words and will look you in the eye while talking. The diet is doing amazing things for him!

    Since you've already observed a huge connection between diet and Mae's behavior, especially with sugar and grains, I think she would really benefit from the diet.

    I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. Prayers for you and your family.

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  3. *hugs* and many prayers. ♥♥♥

    My younger brother's mental delays threw me into contact with children with all kinds of challenges, including autism, on a near daily basis. As a little girl I was frequently in waiting rooms for speech therapy and PT where I interacted with them while we waited for brother to come out of his appointment. They're BEAUTIFUL. They made my life better. They taught me more about God and grace and love than I would have learned otherwise.

    Their parents were beautiful people, too. There are so many challenges and hardships, but one of the inevitable consequences seems to be an expansion of heart in a big way.

    ♥♥♥ Again, praying! God bless you and your precious girl!

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  4. Cam,I have followed your blog before Mae was born. You will get through this. I think all your children are special. I do think you and your husband are strong and good parents.
    We are all in Gods hands and we just have to hold on for the ride.

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  5. This idea might help you a bit. In reality nothing has changed. Now you just know why she acts the ways she does. She is still the same Mae you have always known and loved.

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  6. As a dear friend and Bobby's preschool teacher told me last September, when his behaviors were officially diagnosed as "autism", Bobby didn't change. Nothing about him changed- we simply had a direction to go for trying to help him achieve his full potential.

    We pray a lot and some days are so hard. We tried diet modification with little success. What we found helped the most was facilitating communication (we combine ASL with spoken English) and rolling with his need for routine (within reason). Huge strides. HUGE. Is it all sunshine and rainbows? Of course not. But by the Grace of God, we are blessed daily by all our kids.

    Praying for you guys...

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  7. Praying for you and your family. My neighbor's son has autism and he is one of my favorite people in the complex. He's now in junior high, and in the six years that we've known him, he's made huge strides. He can carry on a conversation, makes eye contact, has hobbies and friends, likes school and seems to love life.

    His parents purposely moved to our state because their research showed we have good school programs for autism. I'm not saying you should move across country! But maybe some states are better than others and after your DH finishes school, that could be a factor in future moves.

    I don't know what it's like to have a child on the spectrum, because I'm infertile and don't have children, but I can tell you that my neighbor's son really brightens the whole complex. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't know some of my neighbors, because he remembers everyone's names and details about their pets, hobbies, etc. He really doesn't fit the stereotype of autism.

    However, when we first met him, he would ask the same questions over and over again and could barely make eye contact. All that changed immensely in just a few years. HIs mom said that the public schools here were really great about early intervention. I think I also remember her saying that structure and routine were very important.

    That's just my limited experience. I will certainly pray for you and Mae.

    Maryann

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I love comments and I read every single comment that comes in (and I try to respond when the little ones aren't distracting me to the point that it's impossible!). Please show kindness to each other and our family in the comment box. After all, we're all real people on the other side of the screen!